1. Technical Field
This invention relates to wrapping devices and, more particularly, to a device for wrapping a napkin about silverware and associated method.
2. Prior Art
Within a large segment of the food service industry, food service providers serve millions of customers reusing a small inventory of silverware, also referred to as eating utensils, which are washed after each use. Because individually handling eating utensils to set places at tables is time-consuming, a significant number of food service providers supply eating utensils in bundles which are prepared well in advance of use by manually wrapping the necessary utensils in napkins.
While this procedure permits more rapid dispensing of utensils when needed, and facilitates the rapid resetting of tables for use, such preparation remains labor intensive. For high volume restaurants and chains, the labor costs may be in the tens of thousands of dollars annually per restaurant. If deferred, such costs could be better spent on maintaining the restaurant facility or increasing the employees' pay, which in turn can increase employee morale.
There is a prior art example of an apparatus for automatically wrapping a napkin about silverware. This apparatus, however, is limited in that it does not automatically place a napkin in a condition for accepting silverware placed thereon nor does it automatically place the silverware upon the napkin. Instead, these steps must be manually performed before the wrapping operation is effected. It would be desirable to provide a napkin-wrapping apparatus which automatically places a napkin in position for accepting silverware placed thereon, as well as automatically wrapping the napkin around the silverware.
Accordingly, a need remains for a device for wrapping a napkin about silverware and its associated method in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a utensil wrapping device that is easy and convenient to use, results in energy-, time- and cost-savings, is durable and practical in design, and improves sanitary conditions. Such a device serves as a viable and safer alternative to the traditional method of manually rolling eating utensils in a napkin. The device advantageously eliminates the need for employees to wrap the eating utensils, thus allowing them to tend to customers and other important tasks. In addition, the device keeps the eating utensils clean and sanitary, which reduces the spread of infectious diseases, as well as painful cuts to the hands from sharp knives.